The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth

A couple of weeks back we had been to South Devon and while there took a trip to Plymouth to visit the National Marine Aquarium. We have been to countless aquariums over the years. But even today a visit to an aquarium invokes a sense of wonder and awe for us. It is simply so engaging and enchanting to watch marine creatures swimming gracefully in their underwater world.

On reaching the aquarium, we met up with one of the staff, Joe, who gave us an introductory guided tour - it was very informative and fun as well. The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth is the largest public aquarium in the UK and has over 4,000 marine creatures of almost 400 different species! They also have many thousands of invertebrate animals and a Loggerhead Turtle who is called Snorkel.

The aquarium's main population of animals comes from the local waters - soft Corals, tiny Gobies, Prawns and the Conger Eels to name a few. There are also other interesting creatures such as Seahorses and Octopuses. Animals from the Mediterranean, colourful fishes from the Great Barrier Reef tank, sharks from the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean also are a part of the aquarium. Many of the animals are bred in captivity at the aquarium and the team at the aquarium in Plymouth also carry out conservation and research programmes.

Despite the crowd at the aquarium (which showed how popular the aquarium is both with kids and adults), our experience was amazing. As expected were were fascinated by the inhabitants of the marine world. Octopuses, Cuttlefish, Hermit Crabs, Lobsters, Sea Anemones, Starfish, Sharks, Sting Rays, Barracuda and a multitude of other fish species, both large and small and in a range of shapes and colours - it was immensely enchanting. We spent time in front of every single enclosure watching and appreciating the fishes. Some of the fishes were so beautiful and unique that I did not feel like moving away from the display. It was amazing. I took only a few photographs as most of our time was spent watching the fishes.

I would definitely recommend a visit the aquarium if you are visiting Plymouth. If we had lived closer to Plymouth or in Plymouth, I would have visited the aquarium on a regular basis and maybe even enrolled as a volunteer

You can visit the aquarium's website to check the admission prices and opening times. Please note that the aquarium does not have car parking facilities onsite. The Harbour Pay & Display car park is nearby and costs £3.50 for 3 hours.